Jay Paul Company has contributed $250,000 to support the Boys and Girls Club of the Peninsula’s (BGCP) culinary program, which has stepped up its services to community members in need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Silicon Valley-based company added $70,000 to the $180,000 it contributes annually to the Redwood City clubhouse’s culinary program. The additional funding will cover one whole month of meals for the BGCP Community Meals program. Which has grown to serve 2,200 dinners to the community every weeknight, according to Eileen Tsai, director of donor relations for BGCP.
On March 19, shortly after the shelter-in-place orders began, the BGCP transitioned their programming to support a growing community need by serving to-go dinners out of their Redwood City and East Palo Alto club houses. That day alone, over 550 meals were served in just an hour, according to BGCP CEO Peter Fortenbaugh. Free meals are offered Monday through Friday. BGCP is also partnering with Second Harvest Food Bank to provide produce to-go boxes that are distributed on Wednesdays and Thursdays at the Redwood City club house and Fridays at the East Palo Alto club house.
The BGCP culinary program had proven its value long before the COVID-19 crisis. It serves to provide local youth with nutritious meals along with culinary arts and nutrition education programs. The Jay Paul Company has been a longtime supporter, having funded the renovation of the Redwood City Clubhouse’s kitchen in 2017, along with an outdoor garden area and gym.
“We see the value in having a state-of-the art kitchen,” said Maia Haris, Special Projects Manager, Jay Paul Company. “It not only provides a space to teach the students vocational training, but also allow the chefs on staff to cook amazing meals for the students to come together and eat on a daily basis.”
Those interested in contributing to BGCP’s program can click here. One to-go meal costs just $3, so donations both small and large can have a big impact. BGCP also encourages volunteers to assist the program. To learn more about getting involved as a volunteer, visit the organization’s Community Meal Volunteer page.
For more information about the Community Meals program, click here.
Photo by Dương Nhân from Pexels
Disclaimer: Adam Alberti, the publisher of Climate Magazine, is Managing Director at Singer Associates, Inc. The Jay Paul Company is represented by Singer Associates.
